Friday, March 28, 2014

For this next's Friday Reads entry I have another ARC that I got from NetGalley. I have said it before, but I won't tire of it, being auto-approved by Strange Chemistry is really fantastic, I keep on getting gems after gems! Thank you so much!

And as another ARC, this one is also part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge! I'm really hoping to get my NetGalley ratio up to the desired 80% soon-ish, currently at 60%!

Once again, being auto-approved by Strange Chemistry on NetGalley is a joy! I got this one, the sequel for Zenn Scarlett and am I glad that I did!

I liked the first book but this one I seriously enjoyed! It was so full of action and humour and plenty of food for thought too! A very good science fiction read with all the good elements there!

Under Nameless Stars starts right were book 1 left us, with Zenn and Liam getting themselves into the Helen of Troy spaceship as stowaways, to try and find Zenn's dad and find out why she was kidnapped. From there everything gets bigger and better, so to speak.

Zenn & Liam get separated and Zenn finds an unexpected friend and ally in Jules, a dolphin in a walking suit. Jules is an absolute delight of a character! He's loyal, he's funny and he's extremely supportive of Zenn. Zenn has to do quite some quick thinking and be quite decisive because despite an inital small lull, the action is quite non-stopping! She finds herself with an assorted gang of unexpected allies, aliens and humans/humanoids while trying to figure out what's going on behind the Indra's spaceships dissapearances and how are they related to her attempted kidnapping!

There's plenty of tension, plenty of funny moments (most due to Jules!) and Zenn doesn't stop being an exovet and her kind self. If she sees something that's not right, she will raise her voice and do her best to fix it. That's quite probably what you might call her secret weapon.

There's a wee bit of romance, but very very understated, quite what it should be when you're trying to save the galaxy. Zenn might be a bit socially awkward but she also has her priorities right when it comes to do what has to be done.

The themes are quite universal, and seeing them presented in a futuristic way might made them a bit more palatable for us, but they're still very much relevant for our current society.

8 comments:

Yay! Glad this was a strong sequel Pili! I love a socially awkward heroine because I'm often socially awkward myself, so I think I'm going to be a big fan of Zenn. The fact that the romance is understated seems appropriate given this is more of a sci fi adventure story, but I'm glad there's one present. I crave romance in my books! Lovely review:):)

Mmm, another series I have not read! I remember when the first book came out, and I was intrigued because it sounded like something I might enjoy. I'm so glad that you enjoyed this sequel, Pili! I probably won't be picking up this series, but I'm very glad that you are enjoying the series so far. Fabulous review!